6 Years with Brandon

I am engaged.

I never thought I would be able to publicly utter this sentence. I never thought this sentence would be celebrated for me. I never thought well-wishes would come from all corners of the map and from people of all backgrounds. Luckily for me, the times changed and so did I.

I was 13-years-old. I knew something was different about me. I felt an attraction to the lifeguard on duty. I could not name it. I did not understand the feeling, but it was there. I did my best to ignore this foreign feeling. It remained persistent and present.

I buried it. I hid it from the world. It was a sin, and I would go to hell for feeling this way. The spiritual leaders in my life told me so. My feelings were so natural and innocent until they were turned over to those of faith. I wanted to be a person of faith. I did my best to hide my sinful urges.

There were magazines. There was the internet. There was my imagination. There were dares and the innocence of puberty. There was college.

I would date a young woman for most of college. We would talk of marriage. I would rage. It was not her fault. I was not being true to myself. She deserves an apology. I am sorry.

I would graduate from college single and free. I would fall head over heels for a guy but being in Oklahoma would not allow me to…